A new life

Juliet McKay.

"You did an awesome job today, Daddy!"
"Yes, I did, Jules. That prosecutor was a hard one... But I was still able to prove my client not guilty Did you see how I did that?"
"Of course I did! I even took notes!" I took my notebook out of my pocket and showed him my notes. He took the book and read through them very carefully.
"Hmm, you did a good job on that." He took a sip of his tea. I drank my tea as well.
"Can I have your cookie, Daddy?"
"Of course you can. You can even have the rest of my tea as well."
"Thanks Daddy!" I drank his tea and ate his cookie as fast as I could. We left the coffeeshop in the basement of the courthouse and walked to the elevator.
"I have some paperwork to do, Jules. Will you stay here while I'm working on that or will you go home?"
"Of course I'll stay!"
He smiled. "I knew you would." We stepped into the elevator and we went all the way up to the Defense offices. Here the defense attorney could their paperwork before, during or after the trials, without having to go all the way back to their offices. Or, at least, that's what Daddy told me in the elevator. The Defense offices were the highest point in the whole courthouse, so I could look out over the city while Daddy was doing his paperwork. I looked at all the tiny cars and people walking in and out of the courthouse. After about half an hour, my daddy came to stand behind me, looking at the cars an people as well.
"We've got to go."
"Why? I like it up here."
"The next attorney who will use this office is standing in front of the door."
"Oh. That's a pity..."
"Yes, it is. I'd have loved to stand here, looking at the city, for a bit longer. But, unfortunately, that's not possible. Come Jules."
He opened the door for the defense attorney who was standing outside and we walked to the elevator together.
When we were in between the third and second floor, the elevator suddenly stopped moving and the lights in the elevator went out.
"You've got to be kidding. The elevator broke down!" my daddy muttered to himself, but he said it loud enough so I could hear him.
"I think there is a power cut, Daddy."
"Yes, that's the most sensible explaination, Jules."
Soon after the elevator stopped, my legs started shaking
"Daddy."
"What's wrong, Jules?"
"My legs feel all shaky."
"You're probably tired. You'd better sit down on the floor." And so I did.
"Daddy, I don't feel so good."
"What's wrong, Jules?"
"I don't know... I feel like I'm about to faint..."
"Faint? But why would you....." At that point, I lost consciousness.

Some time later I woke up again. The lights were on again and the elevator had started moving again.
"Juliet! You are awake again! What happened?"
"I don't know..." The elevator stopped moving and it's doors slided open. A loud bang, louder than anything I had ever heard before, rang through the elevator and I saw my daddy collapsing and falling down on the floor.
"Daddy!" I tried to get up and run to my daddy, but my legs didn't do what my brain told them to do. I dragged myself to my daddy and fell onto his body. And than, everything went black again.

Miles Edgeworth.

After today's trial I walked out of the courtroom. I remembered I had to talk to the Judge regarding some matters and  I had to do some paperwork. So I walked to the Judge's office. After I was done talking to the Judge, I walked to the Prosecutor's chambers. On the hallway, I ran into Franziska.
"Hello, little brother." was her greeting.
"Charming as always, Franziska."
"Of course I am. Don't you have some work to do?"
"Of course I have. I'm a busy man. You can help me, if you want." The moment I said the words "help me", I realised I had made a mistake. Franziska's whip flashed and hit me.
"I'd never want to help you with your stupid paperwork!"
"Well, if you don't want to, you don't have to." This time I was prepared and I was able to dodge the whip.
"I'll see you later, Miles Edgeworth." and with those words, she walked away.
I sighed and continued walking.

When I was about to leave the Prosecutor's chambers, a power cut struck the building. I waited untill the lights were back on, before I left the chambers. I walked to the elevators. I don't like elevators, they remind me to much about that incident, but as I was carrying several big bags with evidence, I reckoned it would be smarter and easier to take the elevator. I pushed the button to call the elevator down. The thought occured to me that there might have been some people trapped in the elevator, because of the power cut. The elevator doors opened. I saw two bodies lying in the elevator. A man and a girl. I dropped the bags with evidence and I felt really sick when I saw them lying there. All of a sudden the girl's body moved.
"Mister?" a soft voice, probably the girl's, said.
"Yes, miss?"
"Please come in." I tried not to faint when I walked into the elevator to the girl.
"What can I do for you?"
"Is my daddy..."
I took a good look at the other body. A gunshot wound sat in his chest, at the place his heart was. Now I was really close to fainting.
"Yes, miss, your father is..."
She started crying. The sobs slowly fainted away. She must have fainted again. I decided I had to warn the police and I had to call an ambulance, to check if the girl was allright. I called the police and the ambulance, and than walked out for some fresh air.

The police arrived very soon after my call. They set a perimeter around the building, so the killer couldn't escape. Just before the perimeter was in place, the ambulance arrived. They took the girl into hospital to give her a thorough check-up. The police asked me some questions about the moment I discovered the body. After they were finished, I could go. I decided to pay the girl a visit in the hospital.

Juliet McKay.

I woke up in a clean, white, hospital bed. I looked around. I was in a typical hospital room. How did I get here? All I remembered was that I saw a man in the elevator and... My memories were all blurred and stirred around. The only thing I knew for sure was the loud bang. It still rang in my ears.
A doctor came in. "Ah, I see you're awake now. There is someone who wants to see you. He claimes to have found you. Do you want to see him?"
I nodded. I didn't care what would happen next. The doctor walked out and the man from the elevator walked in. I could finally have good look at him. He looked younger than I remembered and he wore a suit in a pinkish, red colour. He also wore a cravat.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"I'm prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. And your name is?"
"I... I... My name is... Juliet McKay, but everyone calls me Jules."  
"McKay? So you are the daughter of defense attorney Romeo McKay?"
"Yes." I started crying. "My father... He is..."
"I'm sorry to say it, but indeed, he is dead. He has been shot."
I cried even louder now. Why? Why me? Why my daddy?
"Here take this." The man gave me a handkerchief. I took it, but I didn't use it.
"What about me? What is going to happen to me now?"
He took a long pause before he said softly "I don't know. Don't you have any family living in the area?"
"No. Daddy was the only living family I had left. And now, I don't have any family anymore." I started crying again.
"I'm really sorry. And, though it pains me to ask, I'll have to ask you to try and remember what happened in the elevator."
"I... I... I don't know. There was a power cut, a loud bang, my legs and my father..."
"Your legs?"
"They... they... didn't move..."
The man looked puzzled. His face was strained, like he tried to work something out.
The doctor walked in. "Visitor's hours are over. You can return later, if you want."
The man nodded. "Fine. Can I ask you some questions about her condition?"
The doctor nodded. "That's fine. You can go to my office now with me." And with those words, the man and the doctor walked out. Soon after they had left, I fell asleep.

Miles Edgeworth.

I followed the doctor to his office. The conversation with Juliet kept repeating itself in my mind. Her total despair and her sorrow, but also the emptyness, it all felt so famillair. She probably just felt like I did, after my father was killed.
The voice of the doctor pulled me out of my thoughts. "So you wanted me to tell you about miss McKay's condition?"
"Yes, I would like to know."
"Why are you so interested in her? Are you relatives?"
"No, we aren't. I found her and her father in the elevator. Is she fine?"
"Well, it's nothing life-threatening, but she isn't completely unharmed."
"Of course she isn't! She just lost her father!"
"That's not what I meant. Miss McKay has also some problems with her legs."
"She told me about that. She told me that she couldn't move her legs in the elevator."
"That's correct. She has been poisoned. The poison used isn't a very convenient one to kill someone, If you'd ask me..."
"Why?"
"The lethal dosis of this poison is quite high. Also, it's slow acting. The amount she has got in is almost a quarter the lethal dosis."
"How does this particular poison act?"
"It blocks the nerves. The poison slips between the nerve cells and blocks the signal. This would explain why she wasn't able to move her legs. She'll completely recover. In fact, she was pretty lucky that you had decided to take the elevator. If the poison had been in her body for some more minutes, there would be much more damage."
Oh, sure, she was pretty lucky that I took the elevator, but I wished I never had...
"Do you have any other questions to ask?"
"Just one last thing. When will she be discharged from hospital?"
"I can't tell you yet... Probably the day after tomorrow."
I nodded. "Thank you." I stood up and left the office. It was already half past 6, but I didn't go home. I went to the Prosecutor's building. It didn't matter how I would do it, but I had to get this case. And this time, the defendant wouldn't go out free with some stupid reason like insanity. I couldn't let that happen.

~ The day of the trial ~

Juliet McKay.

They had found the one who did it. The person who killed my daddy. It was a bailiff, Kevin Fallow, who had stepped into the elevator just after the power cut, when I had already fainted. He had ran away just after the loud bang, which I now know it was a gunshot. The prosecutor was the same man who had found me in the elevator. He had explained the case to me before the trial started.
"You'd better go now. The trial is about to start." he said to me.
He had a determined look on his face. "I will not let him get away with this." he said to himself, but loud enough that I could hear him. I walked out of the room, to the tribunes from where I would watch the trial

Miles Edgeworth.

This is it. The trial of the so-called "second DL-6 incident" It was to be expected it was called like that as it was very similar to the DL-6 incident. It was going to be the hardest trial I've ever done. Not only because of personal reasons, but also because there wasn't any conclusive proof. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I'd never forgive myself if no one would be brought to justice.
"The trial is starting. Please come to the courtroom" a bailiff came to tell me. I followed him imside the courtroom.
My mind was going crazy with facts, memories and strategies, but the moment the judge asked me whether I was ready or not, my mind settled.
"Yes, Your Honor." I answered.
"Fine, your opening statement, please."

Juliet McKay.

The prosecutor tried everything. But the Defense tried anything to prove his client not guilty. It was hard to tell who had the advantage. I had some hard times up at the tribune while I was watching. The person sitting next to me looked at me several times. It was almost like he studied me.
"This is not the Edgeworth I know... This is more like the Edgeworth of my second and third trial..." he mumbled several times to himself.
"Do you know him?" I asked him.
"Hmm, yes, you could say I know him, yes. You are the victim's daughter, aren't you?"
The moment I heard him saying "victim's daughter" I started crying again.
"I'll take that as a yes. Here." He offered me a shawl. I blew my nose in it and whiped my tears away.
"Thank you."   
"No problem." and he started studying the trial again.

Miles Edgeworth.

The trial was a hard one. I wasn't able to give decisive evidence or testimony to prove mr Fallow guilty, but the defense couldn't prove the opposite. After a trial of 4 hours and many battles between me and the defense attorney, the Judge decided to end it.
"I don't think there will be any need for investigating any further."
"Objection! But none of us has proven the defendant's guilt or the opposite!"
"I know. But as I already said, it isn't very likely that we will find any new evidence. So, although it pains me to do so, I am going to hand down my verdict."
"Objection! Why..." I fell silent.
"Objection overruled. In this country, everyone is innocent, unless the contrary is proven. Will the defendant take the stand?"
I felt it coming, after what the Judge had said.
"I declare the defendant, Kevin Fallow,

Not guilty."

Juliet McKay.

"NOOOO!!!" The Judge banged his gavel down. "Court is adjourned."
How could this have happened? He did it! He was the only one who could have done it! Angry, confused and panicked, I ran out of the courtroom. The sound of the gavel banging down and the Judge's voice saying 'not guilty' rang through my ears while I called the elevator. I took the elevator to the top floor and went to the Defense offices. I locked the door and I cried.

Miles Edgeworth.

I had failed. I failed to have anyone brought to justice. The scream made me realise I had to see and talk to her. I saw her leaving the courtroom. I ran out of the courtroom. I looked up and down the hallway, but I didn't see her.
"She went to the elevators." a calm, familiar voice said behind me. I turned around and I looked into the eyes of Wright.
"How do you know..."
"I watched the trial. She sat next to me. We sat behind you, that's why you didn't notice me."
"Why did you come to watch this trial?"
"I wanted to see how you'd handle this. You did pretty good, Edgeworth. Not that that really matters. What matters right now is that you find her. Go, and you might be in time to see where she is going. If you take the stairs, you might arrive in time to see which room she enters."
"Thank you, Wright."
"Follow your heart, Edgeworth." What could he  have meant with that?
I ran to the elevators. I was just in time to see that the elevator went to the top floor. I ran to the staircase and I ran up the stairs. I was just in time to see her going into  Defense office no. 1. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I knocked on the door. No reaction. "Juliet. Please open the door." Still no reaction.
"Juliet, it's me, Miles Edgeworth." I heard a click. It took me a while to realise she had unlocked the door. I opened the door and stepped into the room. I locked the door behind me. I saw her standing in front of the big window, looking out over the city. The room was filled with soft little sobs. I walked to her and stood behind her. I knew how she felt. In one day, she had lost her father, her future, her dreams, everything. And no one took the blame for it. I knew how she felt. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Why?" I heard the soft voice of Juliet. It sounded as if she had been crying for ages.
"I am so sorry..." I replied. "I tried all I could, but it wasn't enough..."
"Why?" she said again.
I wished I could have answered that question, but I couldn't.
"What's going to happen to me now?" She asked the same question as on the hospital, but I still had no answer.
"If you can't answer my questions, why are you here?!" she suddenly screamed. "You couldn't even convict the person who killed my daddy! Do you have any idea how I felt up there?! How I feel now?! Do you have any idea?!"
"Yes, I know exactly how you feel." I replied, but my throat was filled with tears and the answer came out very softly. I tried to clear my throat.
"I've been through the same thing..."
"Oh." She calmed down. She didn't ask any questions anymore, she didn't cry, she just stood there, watching the city. I felt I had to do something. All of a sudden, I heard Wright's voice saying in my head "Follow your heart Edgeworth."and I made a decision. I grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. I kneeled down so my eyes were at the same level as hers.
"Juliet, do you want to live with me?"

Juliet McKay.

I looked into those grey eyes. They looked very serious. Could I go and live with him? I hardly knew him. But the eyes also had something trustworthy in them.
"I don't really know..."
But, I knew different. He was honest. He cared about me. The eyes told me. And, what did I have to lose?
"Fine. I'll come and live with you. But please call me Jules, as my daddy did."
The grey eyes smiled.
"Come. I'll take the day off. We'll go to my appartment and I'll show you how I live." He stood up and walked to the door. I shot a last glance at the window and the city and I followed him. A new life was about to start.